A pre-patch solution for those with slow connections

**Rarebit** · 10/02/2008 20:28:46

Update 42, scheduled for March 28th, is going to be a very large download--and by "very large," I mean that QA estimates it will be over 500 MB of files that you are required to download in order to play.

The anniversary event will begin in earnest three days later, on the 31st, with the grand finale on the 2nd. Some users on slow connections, such as dialup modems, have voiced their concerns about having sufficient time to download the patch before the event.

A solution for those with such concerns is to create an External Playtest installation of the game on your computer (or a second one, if you already have one).

This will get you patched up to the XP server, and in doing so you will download almost all of the files needed for the anniversary event. This means that when Update 42 comes out, you will only have to download a small additional patch in order to begin playing on the Live servers.

You will need about 6 GB of free hard drive space in order to create the new installation.

Doing this is by no means mandatory! It is simply a means that those with very slow connections can use to download most of the update 42 content ahead of time.

Here is the process for this pre-patch solution:

1) Create a new External Playtest installation of the game by following the directions here.

2) Run the game from the new External Playtest server, and let it patch all the way. This patch is over 500 MB, and may take several days for those on slow connections.

3) Wait for Update 42 to come out on the Live servers. This is currently scheduled to occur on March 28th.

Don't go on to step 4 until Update 42 is out!

4) Browse to your new External Playtest installation folder.

5) Delete the "useropts.cfg" file that you created in the course of following the directions on the page linked in step 1 above.

6) Run the game from your new External Playtest installation folder. It will patch to Update 42 on the Live servers. This should be a small patch. Once this patch is installed, you will be able to play on the Live servers using this installation of the game.

Message Edited by Rarebit on 03-17-200604:42 PM

**Stack**

I can sympathize with the dial-up people :smileyhappy:

Wouldn't it also be possible, if people don't have the hard drive space, for them to just add the useropts.cfg file to the main installation and patch that one to QA? I know it would prevent them from playing on the live servers, but so would spending a week downloading the new patch :smileywink:. And I know I'm not the only one with <2 GB left on my hard drive :smileyvery-happy:

And don't forget, if the other method is used, it would be important not to delete screenies or profile data once the patch goes live and the old installation is rendered useless. Don't go deleting entire MxO installation folders without checking for irreplaceable data.

**Mercio**

I love you rarebit. :smileyhappy:

and thankyou!

for those who dont know... My name is Mercio and I am a 56k user.:smileysad:

**Rarebit**

Stack wrote:
I can sympathize with the dial-up people :smileyhappy:

Wouldn't it also be possible, if people don't have the hard drive space, for them to just add the useropts.cfg file to the main installation and patch that one to QA? I know it would prevent them from playing on the live servers, but so would spending a week downloading the new patch :smileywink:. And I know I'm not the only one with 2 GB left on my hard drive :smileyvery-happy:

And don't forget, if the other method is used, it would be important not to delete screenies or profile data once the patch goes live and the old installation is rendered useless. Don't go deleting entire MxO installation folders without checking for irreplaceable data.

Yes, that will work as well, but yes, they will not be able to play on the Live servers until the next update goes out if they do it that way.

PyRo_X1

Another option:

Would it be possible just to delete the useropts.cfg file from my EP Server Installation once Update 42 comes out, patch the game with the Event files, and then delete my original Live Game Installation, thereby running my game solely from the former-EP Server Files? (I would create new links and such, and if necessary, have another copy of the EP Server Files on hand in case I ever need to go back to it).

**Rarebit**

PyRo_X1 wrote:
Another option:
Would it be possible just to delete the useropts.cfg file from my EP Server Installation once Update 42 comes out, patch the game with the Event files, and then delete my original Live Game Installation, thereby running my game solely from the former-EP Server Files? (I would create new links and such, and if necessary, have another copy of the EP Server Files on hand in case I ever need to go back to it).

Yes. As Stack mentioned, though, be sure you've backed everything up that you want to save (screenshots, etc) inside those installations before you go deleting them.

Sykin

I thbelineve Rarebit is a good man. RAREBITIS THE WINNER

iRomav

Sweet, good to know this is another option we have. 500mb takes ages to download on the patch server from where I am (although I'm talking hours, not days...)

Thanks for the guide.

Chuui

If you have the space then, you could make a new QA install to use for live, then when you have the time, patch your orignal install to update 42 as well. That way, when the original is all patched up, you only need delete the new install once you no longer need it. Safer no?

mitez

Sorry im not to clear about this

We already have one test server and Rarebit would like us to create yet another test server patch that up wait until update 42 then fully patch that up and use that as our main server.

So wouldnt that leave us with a test server, a new live game and a old live game.

And of course we could uninstall the old live game.

Sorry i'm pretty noob like with computers but that would be very complicated, use up a lot of space and annoying that i will be having my computer on for quite a few days.

How come you can't create a file which copies files from our test world to our live game and then just get the remaining bit patched.

Again i'm sorry if i have misinterpreted the information.

Thanks

Chuui

Remember this is for those who have slow connections where a 500 meg download will take 10 to 12 hours or more. People with fast connections, need do nothing. But for slow connections, if you want to be able to keep using the QA server after update 42 goes live, then you will need to make a second QA install to shorten the patch time to get to update 42.

After the event, you can then patch you original install at your lesiure and keep playing the new QA install (which will then be set to the live server) until you have patched your original.

If you want, you could probably just copy your QA install over your live game install but doing so will cause one of two things:

1 either it will force you to download a rollback patch to the current live version or,
2 it'll render the game unusable until patch 42 is live.

So doing that is at your own risk. A file probably couldn't be made with any reliabilty as people use different directories for their game installs.

So Rarebit's suggestion is just the "safe" route. If you think it would cause more bother, then you don't need to do it at all. Just be aware that you'll have a longer download time when update 42 goes live.

Danger_Frog1471

im not a noob at comp stuff and this s$%t is confusin me all these options. ok i have a pritty good connection in the first place so i may not even need to do this but, if i do do i take the XP server files copy them over to my live game and then run it allowing it to update it (the small part needed)?.

**MatrixRefugee**

I have one copy of the test world, does this mean I have to make a second copy of it? I only just copied my character onto it, and I'm completely at tenterhooks about this, since I am an utter klutz with technical stuff.

And yes, I'm on dial-up.

**Mercio** · 03/18/2006 13:17:18

I'll let someone else answer your question refugee.

But i do want to mention this. NO ONE NEEDS TO DO THIS. Especially if your not on a 56k like myself. This was just a way for the devs to make sure people like me would not miss the Event. And since the update will becoming out like 3 days before the event it will give everyone except 56k users enough time to download the patch. But since 56k is so slow it may take longer than three days to download. Thus causing them to miss some of the event. So if your not on a 56k dont worry about it.

Message Edited by Mercio on 03-18-200601:17 PM

**MatrixRefugee**

So let me get this straight: does this mean the dial-up folks have to use the test world copy after Update 42 and only that copy, after we've tweaked that one a bit? I'm completely and utterly confused by this.

Look, maybe it would be easier if you just mailed a disk with the necessary patch files to the dial-up folks. I'm sorry if I sound nasty here, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do now and I feel frustrated and worried that something will get horribly screwed up...